


The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of...

by Just_Writing



Category: The Streets of San Francisco
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24502564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Writing/pseuds/Just_Writing
Summary: The panicked tossing and whimpering coming from the young man in the bed instantly roused Mike from the light doze into which he had drifted. Surprised to find the room in darkness, he jumped to his feet and hurried to the side of the hospital bed. Turning back on the night light above the bed, he reached for Steve's hand and began to whisper, "Shh, Buddy boy, it's okay."
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by chapter of a story in another fandom that was sadly orphaned. Permission was asked for and given by the original writer for me to use the chapter in the original story that inspired me to write this story.

"I told you not to turn down this dirt road," Patty Johnston complained at her husband as the car hit another large bump in the road and she grabbed the dash to stop herself from painfully bumping against the window. "We should have stayed on the main road."

"You always said you wanted to explore the national parks north of San Francisco." Her husband grinned as he took his hand off the steering wheel and waved towards the thick rainforest that grew close to the road's edge before he quickly grabbed the steering wheel again as the car's rear wheels slid in the soft mud as he teased. "So here we are. You have to agree driving down the dirt tracks is a lot better than walking along hiking trails with lots of other-"

"Oh God, Brian, stop the car!" Patty gasped staring out of the window at the disheveled figure that staggered out of the tree line and collapsed next to the road.

"What?" Brian asked in confusion as he turned and looked at his wife,

Patty turned, her eyes wide with shock and her face as white as a ghost as she grabbed her husband's arm tightly. "Please Brian, stop the car!"

"Why?" he asked as he slowed the car to a complete stop as fast and as carefully as he could on the slippery track. "What's wrong?"

"There's - there's a man…back there." Patty stammered pointing back in the direction they had just come as she turned and opened the car door and began to scramble out. "I - I think he's hurt."

"A man? Where?" Brian frowned as he followed Patty out of the car and down the road, his eyes scanning the side of the road for the man his wife had said she had seen.

"Over here." Patty called as she slid down the slight embankment and dropped to her knees.

Sliding down the embankment to join his wife, Brian stared down at the bloodied and mud smeared man who was lying face down in the lush undergrowth.

"Do you think he's alive?" Patty whispered as she looked up at her husband, as her hand hovered uncertainly above the man's back, almost as if she feared touching him.

Kneeling beside his wife, Brian gently placed his fingers against the man's cool neck, releasing a breath he had not even realized he was holding as he felt a weak beat beneath his fingertips. "He's alive." He told Patty as he rolled the unconscious man over onto his back.

Patty gasped at the sight of the deep rugged wound on the side of the young man's head that was clotted with a mixture of mud and blood.

"That's a gunshot wound." Brian frowned as he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and tried to wipe some of the burgundy gore away.

"Are you sure?" Patty whispered as she glanced at her husband before looking back down at the injured man.

"Of course, I'm sure," Brian snapped, "I saw enough of them when I was in Korea to know one when I see one." Lowering his voice and gentling his tone, he reached down and slipped his hands beneath the unconscious man's shoulders and began to pick him up as he softly instructed his wife, "Patty, I need you to help me get him into the car. We need to get him to a hospital."

Nodding silently, Patty grabbed the man's legs, staggering a little under the man's weight as she helped Brian carry him up the embankment.

* * *

Norm Haseejian glanced up from the notes he had just jotted down as Lee Lessing’s and Bill Tanner’s unmarked police sedan slid to a stop just behind his patrol car. The San Francisco uniformed police sergeant turned to the woman beside him and quickly excused himself before he hurried across to Lee and Bill as they climbed out of their car.

"Are there any updates on Steve's condition?" He asked as he reached the two homicide inspectors.

Bill shook his head and sighed. "Not yet. Mike's at the hospital, he promised to update us as soon as there is any word." Glancing at the grey haired, frightened looking woman whom Norm had been talking to when he had arrived, the San Francisco Homicide inspector asked, "Is that one of the tourists who found Steve?"

Nodding as he turned to lead Lee and Bill back to where the woman stood waiting, Norm answered softly, "Her name is Patty Johnston and her husband is Brian." Canting his head in the direction of the man who was giving his own version of events to another uniformed officer, several feet away from where his wife was now waiting, Norm continued, "They're from New York and are visiting San Francisco to celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. According to Mrs Johnston, today her husband decided to get away from the usual tourist spots and explore the national parks a little. That's why they were driving along this road. She saw Steve emerge from the rainforest and collapse near the side of the road. She made her husband stop the car and check on him. As soon as they realized how seriously he was injured, they placed him in the car and raced him to the hospital. I took their initial statements after I arrived at the hospital, but I thought I would bring them back here to the precise location where they found Steve and so they could walk us through what happened."

"Thanks Norm," Bill said softly as they reached the older woman who was watching them.

After introducing the two homicide inspectors to Patty, Norm asked her to tell them just what had happened when she and her husband had first seen Steve.

Lee glanced at the thick rainforest surrounding them before returning his attention back to the petite woman as Patty bit her bottom lip. She hesitated for a moment as she looked around, re-orientating herself before she pointed to a small break in the trees. "That's where I saw him come out of the rainforest, he was covered in dirt and blood. At first I thought I was imagining things but then…" she paused and swallowed as she remembered the sight of the bloodied young man as he staggered towards the road. Shaking her head, she turned and pointed to an area where the ferns and undergrowth was crushed and flattened as she forced herself to continue. "That's where he fell. I told my husband to stop the car and when we ran back to where I saw him. I- I honestly thought he was dead when we reached him."

Bill nodded as Lee and Norm turned and headed across to the area where Patty had indicated she had first seen Steve emerge from the tree line and began to search.

"I was really scared that he was going to die in the car when we raced him to the hospital. I mean he was shot in the head and there was just so much blood." Patty rushed on, before she hesitated and asked, "I overheard one of the policemen talking, he said that the young man was a San Francisco homicide inspector just like yourself. Do you know if he is going to be okay? The doctors wouldn't tell us anything at the hospital when we asked."

"I don't know." Bill answered honestly as he glanced across at Lee and Norm who was searching the area where Patty had indicated that she had seen Steve emerge from the tree line.

"Bill, I've got a blood trail." Lee called as he turned back to towards Bill.

Excusing himself, and asking Patty to remain where she was, Bill hurried across to where Lee and Norm stood, waiting for him.

Following the droplets of blood and trampled undergrowth, being careful not to disturb any evidence that might be collected later, they made their way back through the thick forest, retracing Steve's steps. Several slip marks and hand prints in the mud along the trail they were following, where it was evident Steve had fallen and then had made himself get to his feet again to continue, told the three men just how hard the hard the journey to try and find help had been for their friend.

Reaching a small clearing, Lee froze as he found himself staring at the pile of broken branches, dirt and mud that lay scattered around a shallow, man size hole dug into the damp ground that the trail of blood and broken underbrush they had been following led back to. "Oh, my God." Lee gasped as Bill and Norm stepped around him and froze, staring at the now empty grave as Lee whispered in horror, "Steve must have been buried alive."

Swallowing the hot bile that rose in the back of his throat, Bill could only nod.


	2. Chapter 2

Pacing the corridor outside the examination room into which he had been told on his arrival to the ER that they had taken Steve, Mike’s grip on his fedora tightened, crushing the hat's rim as he glanced anxiously down at his watch. 3.05 pm. The doctors had been with Steve in the examination room for over an hour and there was still no update on Steve's condition.

“Mike.” He turned as Roy hurried down the corridor towards him. “We received a report from the hospital that Steve was brought in with a gunshot wound to the head after two tourists found him on the side of a road in Muir Woods Park. Any word yet on how he is?”

“I don’t know. He had already been taken into the examination room before I got here.” Mike answered, turning to watch as the examination room opened and a nurse rushed out and hurried down the corridor away from them.

“I know today was yours and Steve’s days off but any idea what Steve’s plans were for today?” Roy watched as the nurse return with a glass IV bottle that appeared to hold blood, re-entering the room. “Or might have happened? Has there been any threats been made against either you or Steve that we’re not aware of?”

“There’s been no threats against either Steve or myself lately that I am aware of;” Mike answered, his eyes drifting back towards the examination door as it swung closed behind the nurse.

“We will double check anyway, plus check the alibi's of anyone who has threatened either Steve in the past and any recent parolees who Steve put away and who might have decided to get even.” Roy nodded.

“Steve was planning to catch up on some sleep, we’ve been working eighteen to twenty-hour days the last few weeks, before heading out to spend the day out on the bay with his newest girlfriend, Connie Moore.”

“Connie Moore?” Roy's eyebrows rose in surprise as he asked, “As in Connie Moore, the newspaper reporter?”

Mike nodded, “That’s the one.”

“Have you had the pleasure of meeting her yet?” Roy asked softly.

Mike shook his head, “Not yet. You?”

“Yeah, she’s a bit of a wild card, I’ve had a few run-ins with her. If Steve’s really serious about her, he could be in for quite a ride especially if he disagrees with any of her opinions.” Roy shook his head, before he returned to the task at hand of finding out what had happened to their youngest inspector. “Lee and Bill are running the investigation, I’ll get them to question her when they get back from the scene. Norm is taking the two tourists', who found Steve, statements, although I don’t think other than finding Steve and getting him to the hospital that they are going to be able to help much with the investigation.” Roy’s voice trailed off as the examination door opened and the doctor stepped out and looked around.

Hurrying across to the doorway, with Roy right on his heels. Mike asked anxiously, "Doc? How is he?"

"He’s a very, very lucky young man," the doctor shook his head in amazement, “The bullet grazed the side of his head but, thankfully, although it did fracture his skull, it didn't penetrate it."

"Thank God," Roy breathed softly as Mike asked, “So…he’s going to be okay?”

"We will be observing him closely for any intra-cranial bleeding or any other complications for the next twenty-four hours. But even though the bullet hasn't penetrated his skull, Inspector Keller’s condition is extremely serious. As well as the fracture to his skull, he has suffered a severe concussion and severe blood loss from the bullet graze. The bullet wound is extremely contaminated with mud and debris and we are preparing him to take him up to the OR so we can fully debride, then clean and treat the bullet wound before we settle him into a room. We also found fine debris and mud in Inspector Keller’s mouth and throat and X-rays we took of his chest show several strange shadows in his lungs."

"Mud in his mouth and throat?" Mike frowned in confusion as he stared at the doctor "How would he have gotten mud in his mouth and throat?"

"Steve probably breathed it in after whoever shot him, buried him alive!"

The three men spun around in surprise as Bill hurried down the corridor towards them.

"He was buried alive?" Mike stared at Bill in horror.

"Are you sure?" Roy asked appalled at the thought that Steve may have been buried alive.

Bill nodded, "We found an empty, freshly dug, shallow grave when we followed the blood trail from where Steve was found back into the rain forest. Charlie and the lab guys are going over it now, but it looks like someone dumped Steve in a shallow grave and then tried to cover his body with soil and broken branches and twigs."

"That would explain the mud and debris in the bullet graze and the unidentified shadows we saw in his lungs on the x-rays." The doctor swallowed and nodded, the horror of hearing what had happened to his patient and instantly realizing the large range of complications, not only physical, but also emotional and psychological, that his young patient now faced in his recovery because of it, was written clearly on his face.

"We think that Steve somehow managed to dig himself out and get to the road for help." Bill continued, swallowing hard as the memory of the empty grave that Steve had been buried in slammed back into his mind. "He…he was lucky that the two tourist drove past when they did…"

"He certainly had a guardian angel watching out for him today," the doctor breathed his agreement, "but I'm afraid he's going to be our guest for a few days."

"Doc, is it possible for us to see Steve?" Bill asked, desperate to reassure himself that Steve was alive after seeing the grave that Steve had managed to escape from.

"Of course," the doctor nodded, understanding the Homicide officers' desperation to see their friend. "Inspector Keller is still unconscious but I can see no reason why you can't see him for a couple of minutes before we take him up to the OR."

"Thanks Doc," Mike said softly before he, Bill and Roy followed the doctor back into the examination room.


	3. Chapter 3

_"And news just in, a San Francisco police officer was found suffering from critical head injuries after being shot and dumped on the side of the road in_ _the Muir Woods National Park_ _earlier this afternoon_ _. Although the officer has not yet been formally identified, an unnamed source from the San Francisco Police Department has confirmed that the injured officer is Homicide Inspector Steven Keller. Inspector Keller is believed to have suffered a gunshot wound to the head and is believed to be in critical condition- "_

Anthony Cox looked up from the book he was reading and stared in disbelief at the TV screen as several other inmates around him began cheering and hooting, drowning out the newscaster's words. "Did he say Keller? Inspector Keller from Homicide?" he asked the man sitting next to him, momentarily uncertain if he had heard the name correctly.

"Yeah," the inmate laughed in delight, grinning as he turned and looked at Cox, "looks like someone tried to rid the world of another pig, just a shame they weren’t successful!"

Turning back to stare at the TV, Cox tried to block out all the noises around him as he tried hard to listen to the news report as a recent photo of Keller taken at a crime scene was flashed up on the TV screen.

_"Our calls to the San Francisco Police Headquarters to formally confirm the identity of the wounded officer have gone unanswered. We will bring further updates to this breaking story as they become available…"_

"Cox!"

He spun around as he heard his name shouted by the guard as the guard ordered, "Get yourself down to the visitor's room, your lawyer's waiting for you."

Slowly rising from his chair, Cox glanced back at the TV and grinned, unable to believe his luck if indeed Keller was cop who had been shot in the head and then left for dead, "I bet he is!"

"Well, what the Hell are you waiting for, Cox? Get moving," the guard growled before he looked back at several of the inmates who were all laughing and slapping each other on the back, obviously celebrating something they had just seen on TV. "And if the rest of you don't settle down, I will arrange for you all to go into lock down!" he threatened.

SOSF SOSF SOSF

Standing with his back to the door and his hands clasped behind his back, Ian Travis stared at the old faded sign reminding visitors of the 'No contact rule' that hung on the peeling and paint-chipped green wall. He frowned as his thoughts drifted back to the man whom he had come to the prison to see as he tried to decide just how much he was going to tell his client about what had happened a few hours ago when serendipity had nicely intervened, killing two birds with one stone.

Deciding the less that Cox knew, the better it was not only for Cox but for everyone else involved, after all, his newest client had the reputation of being a big mouth who tended to brag. The man was a definite liability, a liability who couldn't be trusted to keep his mouth shut. And it was his bragging that had landed them in this mess.

He turned as he heard the door open behind him and watched as Cox was led into the room and directed to take a seat at the old wooden table in near where he stood. The large man grinned at him as he swaggered across to the chair situated on the other side of the table, pulling it noisily across the cement floor before flopping down on it. Looking back at the guard, the lawyer dismissed him with, "I need to finish preparing my client for his trial tomorrow, I will let you know when we have finished."

Glancing at Cox before looking back at his expensive looking lawyer, the guard shrugged, "I'll be right outside the door. Just knock to let me know when you are finished."

Travis nodded silently as the guard turned and walked out of the room.

Waiting until the guard had closed the door behind him, Cox grin grew as he looked up at his lawyer and asked, "Is it true, man? Did someone really shoot Keller in the head and then tried to dump his body?"

"It's true," Travis smiled "A buddy of mine at SFPD told me word around the station is that he isn’t expected to survive the night and if he does, he’s going to be a vegetable.”

"Yes!" Cox punched the air and laughed with delight with the confirmation of Keller's unexpected death before he grew serious and looked back at his lawyer, "What about Sullivan?"

"All taken care of, just like we promised," Travis reassured him. "You don't have to worry about him turning up at the trial tomorrow to testify. And now, without Keller to testify as well, the case against you is totally circumstantial and most of that circumstantial evidence is extremely weak without the Keller's or Sullivan's testimonies. There's no way the DA is going to be able to prosecute you. I can guarantee that the judge will have no other option but to throw the case out. This time tomorrow, you should be a free man."

"Oh man," Cox ran a hand over his face, unable to wipe the excited smile from his face as he stared past Travis at the wall, "a free man!" He breathed, almost in disbelief at the words he was uttering. His smile suddenly faded, and he looked back at his lawyer with fear in his eyes as he asked, "But what about Stone?"

"What about Stone?" Travis frowned.

"Well… with someone trying to off Keller today and then when Sullivan doesn't turn up at the trial tomorrow, he's gunna be suspicious." Cox whispered nervously, looking around the room, fearful that the guards were somehow able to listen in on conversations. Turning back to Travis, he swallowed hard, "And who's he gunna come after? I will tell you who! Me! That's who! He's gunna want to know what happened to Sullivan and who shot his partner. Oh, man- "

"Don't worry about Stone, just like Sullivan, he’s going to be taken care of,” Travis answered cryptically before he turned and walked to the door. Turning back to Cox, he added, "Just remember, all you have to do is keep your mouth shut if you want to get out of here tomorrow, not only in here, but also in the courthouse. Let me do all the talking. And I promise that if you can do that, then you will be walking out of that courthouse tomorrow, a free man, and there won't be a thing that Stone can do about it."

Cox relaxed as he flashed the lawyer a small relieved smile. "Thanks, Ian."

Travis gave a single nod before he turned and knocked on the door. Stepping past the guard as the door opened, he left the room without looking back. Walking back down the corridor towards the reception area to sign out, he silently decided that even though Cox had just promised to keep his mouth shut, the man was definitely a huge liability, one that was going to need to be dealt with sooner rather than later.


End file.
